A United Nations maritime body urges governments to reject Tehran’s attempt to regulate passage through the strategic waterway amid renewed military exchanges with the United States

An international confrontation over the Strait of Hormuz intensified on Friday after the United Nations shipping agency called on governments to reject Iran’s efforts to impose new controls over vessels passing through one of the world’s most important energy corridors.

The International Maritime Organization’s governing council condemned Tehran’s creation of a body to supervise traffic in the strait and its demand that commercial vessels obtain Iranian permits before entering or leaving the waterway. The organisation said Iran’s claims infringed the maritime rights and sovereignty of other states bordering the Gulf.

The dispute comes amid renewed hostilities between Iran and the United States following a fragile ceasefire that had temporarily reduced military activity. Washington recently carried out another series of strikes against targets in Iran, while Iranian forces responded by attacking American military infrastructure in Gulf states.

Tehran maintains that tighter supervision of the strait is necessary to protect Iranian security and prevent hostile military or commercial activity. Iranian officials have also argued that the country is not bound by all provisions of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, the principal international framework governing navigation through strategic waterways.

The International Maritime Organization, whose membership includes 176 states, urged governments not to recognise Iran’s permit system or any unilateral claim of authority over the entire strait. Its intervention raises the possibility of a wider diplomatic campaign against Tehran at a moment when Gulf states are attempting to prevent another uncontrolled regional escalation.

The Strait of Hormuz connects the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea. Its narrow shipping lanes carry a significant share of internationally traded oil and liquefied natural gas, making any disruption capable of affecting fuel prices, freight costs and inflation far beyond the Middle East.

Commercial shipping has already faced growing danger in the region. Tankers have altered routes or delayed journeys following attacks on vessels, military exchanges and uncertainty over which authorities can guarantee safe passage. The United States has advised some ships to navigate through waters closer to Oman to reduce their exposure to areas where Iran is asserting greater control.

The confrontation has unfolded alongside a new cycle of retaliation. The United States said it recently struck more than 80 targets in Iran, while Tehran reported attacks against American military facilities in Bahrain, Kuwait and elsewhere in the Gulf.

Further unclaimed airstrikes have also hit several parts of Iran, including southern and coastal regions. No government immediately accepted responsibility, adding another layer of uncertainty to a conflict involving state forces, regional alliances and the possibility of covert action.

Iran has responded by presenting control of the strait as both a security measure and a sovereign right. Its opponents argue that recognising such a claim would allow Tehran to determine who can use an international passageway essential to the global economy.

The disagreement therefore extends beyond the immediate military confrontation. It raises a fundamental question about whether a coastal state can unilaterally impose political conditions on international navigation through a strategically vital waterway.

Gulf governments have strong incentives to resist further escalation. Several host American military facilities while also maintaining commercial and diplomatic relations with Iran. Attacks on their territory or nearby shipping could force them into a conflict they have repeatedly sought to contain.

Oil markets have so far reacted less dramatically than during earlier phases of the crisis, partly because traders continue to anticipate diplomatic intervention. Prices nevertheless remain vulnerable to sudden changes in tanker movements, insurance costs and military activity around the strait.

The central risk is miscalculation. A collision, interception or attack involving a commercial vessel could rapidly transform a legal and diplomatic dispute into a direct military confrontation.

For now, the international shipping agency’s declaration represents an attempt to establish a common position before Iran’s proposed controls become accepted practice. Whether governments and shipping companies will openly defy Tehran, however, may depend on their confidence that international forces can protect vessels moving through the increasingly dangerous corridor.